(a) Certified registered nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives, engaged in collaborative practice with physicians practicing under protocols approved in the manner prescribed by this article may prescribe legend drugs to their patients, subject to both of the following conditions:

Terms Used In Alabama Code 34-21-86

  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • writing: includes typewriting and printing on paper. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) The drug type, dosage, quantity prescribed, and number of refills shall be authorized in an approved protocol signed by the collaborating physician; and
(2) The drug shall be on the formulary recommended by the joint committee and adopted by the State Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing.
(b) A certified registered nurse practitioner or a certified nurse midwife may not initiate a call-in prescription in the name of a collaborating physician for any drug, whether legend or controlled substance, which the nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwife is not authorized to prescribe under the protocol signed by the collaborating physician and certified registered nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwife and approved under this section unless the drug is specifically ordered for the patient by the physician, either in writing or by a verbal order which has been reduced to writing, and which has been signed by the physician within a time specified in the rules and regulations approved by the State Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing.
(c) Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are authorized to administer any legend drug that has been lawfully ordered or prescribed by an authorized practitioner including certified registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and/or assistants to physicians.